Electric furnace



Aug. 24 1926.

C. E. TAYLOR ELECTRIC FURNACB Filed v. 20, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 192e, 1,595,902

C. E. TAYLOR ELECTRI C FURNACE Filed Noy. 20, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 24, 19.26.

' i CEABLES EDWARD TAYLOR, 0F PENN YAN, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

Application led November 20, 1920. Serial No. 425,336.

This invention relates to furnaces and more particularly to improvementsin large electrical furnaces yfor the production of carbon disulphide orfor the treatment df other substances by heat.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved furnaceconstruction wherein the commercial production of carbon disulphide on alarge scale can be expeditiously and economically effected.

It is a furthr 'object of the invention to provide a furnace of thecharacter mentioned having features of structural superi'- ority andfunctional advantage.

Another object is to provide an improved design and construction ofelect-ric furnace wherein the designed reaction'is expedited andwherewith the manual operation thereof is facilitated.

Other objects and advantages will be in part noted hereinafter inconnection with the following description of the accompanying drawingwhich shows a typical preferred embodiment of the invention and whereinFigure 1 is a central vertical section of the improved furnace,

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively sectional views on an enlarged scale ofcertain of the feeding means for the material to be treated.

The invention is particularly designed to im rove the apparatusheretofore disclosed in nited States Patents 688,364 and 871,971 to E.R. Taylor.

There is provided an outer furnace cylinder 1 of sheet iron suitablyconstructed by welding or riveting and enclosed by a heat insulatinglayer 2, the latter in turn being covered by a protecting casing such asa sheet iron wall 3. The furnace also includes a second cylinder 4 offire brick or other material preferably free from alkali andconcentrically disposed within the outer cylinder 1 and spaced therefromto provide a chamber v5 which, in the present instance, receives sulphurfor treatment in the reac-l tion space. The space 5 is in communicationat the bottom with a double walled casting 6 which comprises the furnacebottom and which has a central opening 7 about a lower cast 'ironelectrode 8 affording communication for the sulphur to the reaction saceat the bottom of thc furnace and above t e electrode. The furnacestructure as described is supported on a foundation 9 with a lowercompartment 9 to facilitate removal of the'slag or other refuse by meansof a discharge valve constituting the subject matter of patentapplication filed by Frederick Pope, on November 20, 1920, Serial No.425,341 to which reference is hereby made. Within the furnace wall 4,there is another cylinder 10 also of fire brick and suspended with itslower end resting on a casting 11 `which is attached to the lower end ofa tube'12 in turn spaced from the inner walls of the cylinder 10 andprojected at its upper end beyond the furnace where it is supported bythe transverse cover 13. An upper electrode 14 is of carbon and isattached to a tubular conductor support 15 which at its upper end issuitably connected to a cable or the like 15 so that the tube 15 and thecarbon electrode carried thereby may be raised or lowered as desired.The conductor tube 15, it will be noted, is also hollow and adapted forcooling by circulation of water or other medium through a central pipe17.

The cylindrical space between the tube 12 and the inner cylinder wall 10is also adapted to receive sulphur (in the present instance) from a pairof hoppers 16, the location of which is indicated in Fig. 2 and theparticular construction of which .is more clearly shown in Fig. 4. Forconvenience of identification, the cylinder walls 4 and 10 arehereinafter referred to as casings, which afford reaction spacetherebetween.

Preparatory to starting, the furnace is charged, andfor this purposedried coarse carbon or lump graphite is projected within the furnacethrou h the space within tube 12 and outside'o the conductor tube 15.This coarse carbon drops by gravity around the carbon electrode 14 tothebottom of the furnace and, as will be apparent, accumulates in asubstantially conical pile over the.

lower electrode 8. In this'operation, the upper carbon electrode ispreferably lowered to a position more closely adjacent the cast ironelectrode. Thereupon the remainder of the furnace is filled with fineror amorphous dried carbon which is discharged through hoppers 18symmetrically disposed at the upper end of the casing and of aconstruction such as indicated in Fig. 5. The hopper valves, as shown inFig. 1, are also preferably counterweighted. As described, the annularspace between the fire sab brick` casing 4 and the outer cylinder 1 asWell as the space between the inner fire brick casing 10 and the tube 12are lled with sulphur.

Thereupon current is delivered to the electrodes and the mass of coarsecarbon within the high heat area is increased, by raising the electrode14, until substantially the entire conical pile is incandescent. Thisheat, as will be apparent, extends -in lesser degree throughout thefurnace and it effects the melting of the sulphur at the lower end ofthe furnace and its consequent drying so that the latter enters thereaction field through the opening 7 about the lower electrode and.through a plurality of openings 19 in the bottom of the tubular casting11. Furthermore, the dischar e of the sulphur into the reaction field isacilitated by reason of the fact that both of the entrance spaces asdescribed are comparatively unobstructed due to the clearances thereoccurring during the gravitational carbon charging. The carbondisulphide, which is the product of the reaction, rises and `is drawnoff through a top outlet 20 for condensation or other treatment.

Itlis to be noted that the walls of the inner fire brick casing 10 atthe lower end are of lesser thickness. This construction is provided inorder to insure melting of the inner fed sulphur only in proximity tothe electrode 14 whereby the carbon surrounding the electrode, as wellas the electrode itself, is to a material extent cooled. The conductortube 15 also encloses a pipe 17 leading from the exterior whereby watercirculation to the electrode is permitted and the temperature range thuslimited. For similar reasons the lower electrode 8 is provided with acentral recess at'it-s lower end whereby lcirculation of water or othercooling medium is permitted to limit the temperature of the ironelectrode. Both electrodes are thus water cooled from outside e furnace,and furthermore, the entering Sulphur from above and below serves toexert an advantageous cooling effect on the walls adjacent the reactionspace.

The upper end of the inner, fire brick casing 10 is provided with arecess l21 for the reception of sand or asbestos packing to allow fordifferences of vertical expansion between the iron inner tube 12 and thelire rick casing 10. It will also be understood that the conductor tube15 is suitably insulated from the outer casing at the top of the furnaceand that the casing is supported by a circular plate 22 resting upon thetop of the furnace with the joint under the plate made ti ht by a propercement.

T e carbon e ectrode 14 is preferably ided in its vertical adjustment atthe ower end of the lire brick casing 10 as by a plurality of refractoryelements 23 attached within the casting 11. The outer cylinder 1 may beprovided at several points with openings 24 to draw off the meltedsulphur in case there is a surplus over the requirements to meet theoperating conditions of the furnace. To facilitate controlling theoperation, also; a plurality of thermometers 25 are preferably providedwithin the outer casing anda plurality of pyrometers are extended withinthe brick casing 4. Of course the spacin about the stems of thepyrometers and t e thermometers are suitably packed to prevent anyleakage of the sul hur.

n operation all openings are sealed to prevent the escaping of gas. Inthe first, or lower position. of the carbon electrode, a small quantityof the carbon is heated very hot in the center of the furnace and as thecurrent is increased in voltage the carbon electrode is raised and thequantity of coarse carbon heated is greatly increased so that in theextremely high sition of the carbon electrode practically t e entirecone or pyramid of coarse carbonrat the bottom of the furnace isrendered incandescent.

It will be observed that the arrangement and structure describedprovides for a uniform heating of the entire mass of coarse carbon inthe furnace and for substantially exact regulation of the temperature.As the furnace becomes hot, the sulphur melts and feeds to the reactionfield where it is vaporized by the action of the heat generated betweenthe electrodes and, passing upwardly to the carbon in the upper part ofthe furnace, it combines therewith in the form of carbon disulphide. Thecontinuous operation of the furnace is facilitated by reason of thecharging arran ments described, and moreover, the bo ily removal of theelectrode 8 or the tube 12 and casing 10 is permitted by raisingupwardly when necessary for repair or inspection.

It is to be understood further that .certain features of the inventionare susceptible of modification, while retaininor the structuralsuperiority and functional aldvanta es characteristic of the embodimentdescri d, and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, a vertically disposed casinghaving a fixed electrode at the bottom thereof, and a complementaiyelectrode adjustable toward and from sai fixed electrode, and means forfeeding material to a point above said fixed electrode, and meansadapted tolfeed material from the topI of said casing in positionnormally to surround the lower end of said complementary electrode, andmeans for c on ning the material fed by said first mentioned feedingmeans to the space immediatelv surrounding said complementary electrode.2. In a device of the character described,

in combination, a vertically disposed casing having lfire brick walls`and a bottom, a relatively small electrode fixed centrally in thebottom of said casing, a complementary electrode suspended centrallyfrom said casing in registry with said first electrode and adjustable toand from said fixed electrode, and means for feeding material to betreated from the top of said casing in position to contact with saidadjustable electrode, and means for confining the material fed by saidfirst mentioned feeding means to the space immediately surrounding saidcomplementary electrode.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a verticallydisposed casing adapted to form a reaction chamber, having spaced outerwalls and a double bottom communicating with the space between saidwalls, a centrally disposed opening affording communication between thedouble bottom and the interior of the casing, said space and openingaffording a means of introducing material. to the casing interior.

4. In a device of the character described, in combination, a casingaffording a reaction chamber, an electrode projecting within saidchamber, a shell surrounding said casing and projecting into saidchamber, whereby a passageway is formed around said electrode, and saidmaterial may be introduced in immediate proximity to the extremitythereof to cool the same.

5. In an electric furnace, in combination, a vertically disposedcylindrical casing supported at the bottom and having a reaction spaceat its lower end, an electrode extending within said casing at thebottom thereof, a complementary electrode suspended from above saidcasing and adjustable with respect to said first electrode, and a secondcasing suspended from the top of said first casing and enclosing saidsecond electrode and s accd therefrom and means to feed material to theinterior of said second casing.

6. In an electric furnace, in combination, a casing affording a reactionspace and a pair of complementary opposed electrodes extending withinsaid casin at the reaction space, andA means where y material to betreated enters said reaction space about said electrodes and in contacttherewith for exerting a cooling effect on the latter. f

7. In an electric furnace, in combination, a Avertically disposed cYlindrical casing, an electrode disposed within said casing andsuspended centrally from the, top thereof, a tube enclosing saidelectrode and affording a passage for materiall to be treated, a secondcasing enclosing said tube and suspended from the top of said firstcasing and affording a assage for a second material to be treate 8. Inan electric furnace, in combination, a vertically disposed casing havinga reaction space at its lower end, an electrode extending to saidreaction space and sus-v ing.

9. In an electric furnace, in combination, a casing having a reactionspace at its lower end, a hollow cylindrical casingcentrally disposedwithin said first casing and suspended from the top of the latter, anele'ctrode at the lower end of said second casing and means dividing thespace within said second casing into separate entrances for differentmaterials to be treated.

10. In an electric furnace, in combination, a vertically disposedvcasinghaving a reaction space at its lower end, separate means wherebymaterial to be treated may enter said casing from above and be fed bygrav- 4ity and separately to a position adjacent the reaction space, andmeans whereby another material to be treated may be fed separately to aposition adjacent said reaction space and intermediate the feeds of thefirst mentioned materials to be treated.

11. In an electric furnace, a vertically disposed casing having areaction space at its lower end and having an opening in its bottom walland 'an electrode extending through said opening and having an upper endo increased transverse dimension overhanging the edge walls of saidbottom about said opening.

12. In an electric furnace, in combination, a vertically disposed casinghaving a double bottom and an opening in said bottom communicating withthe reaction space within said casing, and an electrode extending throuh said bottom and said opening but space from the edges of the latterand having an enlarged top overhanging the edges of said opening.

13. In an electric'furnace, in combination, a double wall casing adaptedto receive a reaction material between-its walls, an electrode extendinginto the interior thereof,

a communication between the interior and` the space between the wallsadjacent to said electrode, a second electrode movable to and fiom saidfirst mentioned electrode and movable to and from the same.

In testimony whereof I affixlmy signaure.

CHARLES EDWARD TAYLOR.

